Behind the Grey Door
by cybertoothtiger
Summary: This was written while S7 was still airing, so it turned out to be AU. Spoilers for S7.16. Two whole chapters, this time! Complete.
1. Chapter 1

The red-haired agent – what was her name again? Kim hadn't really been paying attention when she'd stepped off the elevator into the heat of scores of eyes trying not to look at her, nor during the long walk down the bland office hallway, the echo of two sets of dress shoes tapping a syncopated rhythm below the drone of the agent's summary of the events leading to this point.

Kim had known. She'd known as soon as the phone rang. She was only surprised that it had taken this long for them to need to contact her. She knew her dad was in Washington. She had watched the first few moments of him settling in for his testimony, turning it off as soon as the questions began. She didn't need to hear any of that. His life was like a car wreck that she had managed to escape, but she still could not tear her eyes away from it. She didn't want to be a part of it, but she had to look.

Later, when she heard the news about the White House and the other attacks, she'd known her dad would find a way to get into the action somehow. He would claim he had no choice, and maybe he didn't. These things seemed to find a way to him no matter what he did.

Jason had been discomfited, leaning against the door frame of the bedroom as she'd packed a bag. He knew Kim had a father, but he was in India, or Africa, or someplace, and never called, never wrote. He'd never met the guy, never even seen a photo. Kim had long ago figured out that it was better not to tell men too much about her family. It was too much to spring on someone the first few dates, and later on it was too big to not have told earlier. She never pretended he was dead though. Not after that first time.

"When will you be back?" He ran a hand through his short brown hair, rumpling it until it stood on end and smoothing it back down again, the way he did when he was thinking.

"I don't know. They said he's pretty sick." She rummaged through a drawer to find the travel-size shampoo and conditioner and sealed them in a zip-lock bag.

"You sure you don't want me to come?"

"I'm sure." Tucking the last pair of socks into the corner of her suitcase, she closed it and heaved it to the floor, extending the handle and rolling it behind her as she made her way to the door. "Thanks for offering." She kissed him lightly. "I'll be okay."

"Okay." Jason pushed off the door frame and grabbed the handle of the suitcase as it passed and carried it to door just as the cab pulled up. "Got your phone?"

She checked her pocket. "Yes. I'll call you tonight."

 _Renee_. That was her name. Agent Renee Walker. Renee held out a hand in a gesture of caution as they reached the grey door at the end of the corridor.

"I should warn you."

Kim shifted her head so her bangs moved away from her eyes, meeting Renee's eyes with a level gaze. "What?"

"There's been some deterioration of his gross motor skills."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he can't stand up."

Kim bit her lip and looked from Renee to the door. Its smooth painted surface didn't reveal anything of what was waiting on the other side. Nor could the person on that side see what was in the corridor. _He couldn't stand up._ He would hate for her to see him like that. Like this. She could walk away right now, even if he couldn't. Maybe she should.

"Does he know I'm here?"

Renee cleared her throat. "No. We… we weren't sure you would make it in time." Kim read the unspoken thought in the agent's green eyes. They hadn't been sure that she would come. Kim gave a wry smile, lifting her head so the water in her eyes ran down inside her nose instead of spilling onto her cheek.

"Yeah." Her fingertips brushed the top of the door knob and hovered.

"How is he, otherwise?"

Renee swallowed and looked down. "It's been twelve hours. He's not bad, considering. He's lucid." She met Kim's eyes again. "We don't know for how much longer."

 _Great._ They'd be able to have the conversation. The one they'd been having for years. The last goodbyes they'd said to each other over and over, sometimes with love and sorrow, sometimes with anger. She'd grieved for him already. Why was she here?

Because really, this time, it was true.

Kim exhaled and, grasping the handle firmly, she opened the door and stepped through.


	2. Chapter 2

Renee was taken aback to discover Jack was not alone. Chloe sat next to him, both of them huddled over her laptop. Chloe looked up first.

"Kim!"

Before Kim could respond, Jack raised his head impatiently and focussed on Renee.

"Renee. Chloe thinks she's found a way to track the remaining Starkwood operatives at large on U.S. soil."

Renee stared from Jack to Chloe.

"Their personal files have locator codes. I wrote an algorithm to crack it."

"Good work," she stammered. This was not the reaction she was expecting. Kim stood silently just inside the door, her eyes focussed on her father.

"Jack, Kim is here to see you."

"Of course." Jack started rolling up his sleeve to expose the shunt, his fingers fumbling. "I'm having more trouble with my fine motor now."

All three women were now staring at him.

Renee cleared her throat and said gently: "She's not from medical. Jack, it's Kim."

He raised his head, confused, and looked at Kim for the first time, then back to Renee, waiting for an explanation.

"Kim, Jack. She's -" Before she could go any further, Kim stopped her. Renee saw an expression flash over Kim's face, a look she had seen many times on Jack's face that day. The look of someone who was about to make a personal sacrifice because there was no other choice.

"Chloe asked me to come in."

Chloe nodded, biting her lip.

"Okay." He paused, looking at Kim more intently. "I'm sorry, you look familiar."

"Yes. I was an analyst at CTU in Los Angeles. We worked together briefly." Kim's voice was thick with emotion.

He nodded curtly. "Okay. Let's get another work station set up in here. Renee, can you get her what she needs."

"Of course," Renee replied softly, turning quickly to the door before he could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

Kim told the others that she would be right back and slipped out into the hallway with her.

The door safely closed, Renee turned to Kim.

"I am so sorry. I had no idea. He seemed fine. It must be affecting his long-term memory first. We didn't expect that."

"It's okay," Kim said, her face betraying the truth.

"I should get Chloe out of there. He should be resting."

"Resting for what?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Resting for what? It's not like he's going to need his energy later on. He's dying, Renee."

Renee stood quietly, absorbing Kim's anger.

Kim took a step forward, her hand swinging out to her side dismissively.

"Look. I've seen people like you before. You work with him for one day while he's doing his whole superhero thing and you think you know him. But you don't. You don't know him. You don't know how many times…." She broke off, impatiently wiping the heel of her hand against her cheek, smearing the black-brown tracks of mascara that had appeared there.

"He needs this." Kim was up close to Renee now, half a head shorter, but leaning in, using her body to invade Renee's space, her voice low and threatening. "And you are going to give it to him. You owe him."

My God. It was uncanny the resemblance between them. Renee realized Kim was right. She had no idea who Jack Bauer really was, no idea what the dynamic between that father and this daughter would really be like. No idea at all. And Kim was right about something else, too. She did owe Jack. They all owed him. And if this is what he needed, he was going to get it.

"Okay." She nodded, pulling herself together. "I'll get Janice to get you what you need. I can't give you security clearance."

Kim snorted, a bitter little laugh that was so much like her father's. "Something tells me I'm not really going to need it."


	3. Chapter 3

So this was complete, but as I'm mucking about and going through all my old stories, it felt like it made more sense to put this here than on its own. Thanks for reading!

xxxxx

Jack appreciated the irony. Heroin had been invented to help morphine addicts kick the habit. He'd worked so hard to get off the heroin, and now he was going to end his life in the warm embrace of its older sister.

Jack held his breath as he watch Dr. Macer prepare the dose. He'd wanted to hold off as long as he could – until there was no choice. He hadn't wanted to be high for any of this. Okay, maybe a small part of him did. The part that always wanted to be high for everything. That part of him would never go away, but he had got that desire under control long ago.

So he was more surprised than he liked to admit that he was disappointed when there was no familiar rush. Using to mask physical pain was nowhere near as good as using to mask emotional pain. The absence of pain was not the same as pleasure. Still, all things considered, it was… fine. He was fine. He let the drug take hold and carry him gently into the darkness.

Of all the ways he'd imagined he'd die, he'd never thought it would be gentle.

"Jack?"

A light. Holy shit. There really was a light.

"Jack?"

A light and a voice. It didn't sound like the voice of God. He'd always thought God would sound more like James Earl Jones than Chloe O'Brien.

His eyes flipped open.

Oh.

"You're awake."

"Chloe?" His throat was raw and dry and his lips stuck together.

"Kim went to get a bite to eat," Chloe explained. "It's my turn to relieve her."

"You… Kim… what?" He struggled to sit up, but was defeated by the weakness of his muscles. "What happened to me?" he asked as he flopped against the bed again.

"Kim gave you a stem-cell transplant. Don't be mad."

"I'm not – Is she okay?" Jack turned his head, his eyes as clear and blue as they'd ever been, even if his voice and body were weak.

"Yeah, Jack. She's fine," Chloe said. "Dr. Macer said you're both very lucky. You probably have very minimal brain damage."

"Chloe."

"Oh. You probably want to see her. Hold on." Chloe stood, but before she could leave, Jack stopped her.

"Renee?"

Jack's stomach sank when he saw her face change. Chloe had never been good at hiding her emotions.

"Chloe, where is Renee?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "She interrogated Wilson, Jack. She's in jail."

"Dammit." Jack tried to raise his hand to his forehead, but was stopped by the web of tubes and wires that connected him to the machines beside his bed.

While he was waiting for Chloe to return with Kim, Jack tried to remember the events that had led him here. His brain was fuzzy, his thoughts disjointed. Who the hell was Wilson? Why was Renee interrogating him? Why would that land her in jail? He couldn't put the pieces together. All he remembered was her.

Shit. What was it Chloe had said about brain damage? Minimal. What did that mean? How minimal? What if… He tried to move and was again restricted by the tube in his wrist. He stared at it, following the line to the I.V. bag on the stand beside him.

He almost laughed with relief. It was alright. He was just a little high, is all. He'd have to do something about that. But not yet. He was too tired right now. He'd worry about it later.

He slipped back into the soft darkness, not noticing that Chloe had returned with Kim.

He didn't hear Kim say that it was okay, that she'd stay in case he woke up again. He didn't hear her settle into her chair, and he didn't see her wipe away a tear of relief with one hand as she ran the fingers of the other gently through his hair.


End file.
